1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a reader/writer configured to communicate with an information carrier, such as an IC (integrated circuit) card, and a method and an apparatus, which support a reader/writer so that it communicates with an information carrier.
2. Description of the Related Art
A reader/writer for noncontact IC cards communicates with a noncontact IC card as an information carrier via radio waves to send or receive data therewith, Such reader/writers are adjusted before shipment to obtain desired communication characteristics and functions.
On the other hand, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. H8-305654 discloses a personal computer integrated with a card slot and a flash memory. The personal computer is operative to identify the type of card installed in the card slot to retrieve driver software corresponding to the identified card type from the flash memory. When no driver corresponding to the identified card type is stored in the flash memory, the personal computer downloads the driver corresponding to the identified card type from an external terminal through a parallel interface.
Noncontact IC cards that are a communication target carrier of noncontact reader/writers have predetermined communication specifications and predetermined communication standards, respectively. For example, the communication standards for noncontact IC cards include ISO/IEC14443 with different specifications of type A and type B. Communication characteristics have been differently determined for the different specifications of ISO/IEC14443 type A and type B, respectively.
IC cards with the same standard and specification have different communication characteristics in cases where the manufacturers thereof are different from one another.
The communication characteristics of an IC card depend largely on the circumstances under which the IC card is used. For example, the circumstances include various environments under which an IC card is used, such as an office environment and an outdoor environment. In addition, the circumstances include various access systems of the IC card with respect to a reader/writer, such as an insertion system, a touch system, and a touch and go system.
These descriptions make it clear that, even if IC cards whose manufacturers are the same have the same standard and specifications, the IC cards have different communication characteristics in cases where they are used under different circumstances, respectively.
Reader/writers require that they successfully communicate with any IC cards whose communication characteristics are different from one another. It may be difficult for the techniques disclosed in the Japanese Non-examined Patent Publication set forth above to meet such a requirement.